Industrial fluids, such as coolants, detergents, oils, aqueous emulsions, etc. which are used to cool, lubricate, flush and clean in operations utilizing industrial machines such as machining, finishing and cleaning, have a usable life which is, in part, related to the amount and rate of contamination introduced into the fluids. The contamination is primarily in the form of particulate (solid matter) and/or liquid matter (oils, greases, silicones) which are foreign to the virgin fluid. Reducing the amount of contaminants introduced into the fluids increases the useable life of the industrial fluid.
Since one often cannot reduce the amount of contaminants introduced into the industrial fluids completely, another way to extend the useable life of the fluid is to treat or filter the industrial fluid, thereby removing some or all of the contaminants. Conventional treatment of contaminated fluid utilizes a fluid processing device. The contaminated or spent fluid is transferred from the delivery tank or reservoir of a machine tool to the fluid processing device. A filtration process is then utilized to filter out or remove contaminants, thereby increasing the useful life of the industrial fluid. The filtered industrial fluid is returned to the delivery tank or reservoir. The filtration is accomplished via filter cloth and/or mechanical assistance such as centrifuge or cyclonic means.
A coolant processing system using such a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,402. This coolant processing system apparatus is placed near a machine tool in need of such processing. The machine tool coolant is then pumped from the machine tool reservoir (tank) into the coolant processing system. The apparatus processes the coolant, and the coolant is then returned to the machine tool reservoir (tank).
The system described above and similar systems have limited effectiveness due to the frequency (or lack thereof of use. If the systems are not utilized on a continuous basis, contaminants will accumulate in the machine tool reservoir (tank). These accumulating contaminants may be delivered throughout the machine tool thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the fluid and increasing the chance that the machine tool or workpieces will be damaged.
Further, conventional fluid delivery tanks or reservoirs, such as those used in a typical coolant delivery operation for a machine tool, are primarily holding and recirculation tanks with limited filtration and oil separation ability. Contaminants end up polluting the entire tank area where they are prone to be recirculated by the pump utilized in the recirculation process prior to the filtration process. The contaminants may then directed to the point of discharge reducing the cooling or lubricating effect of the fluid, or damaging the power tool utilizing the fluid or the workpiece being processed.
Another problem with the current processing systems is the limited containment areas used to trap the oils and particulate matter during filtration and disposal. The entire tank contents needs to be emptied and cleaned of spent liquid, a major maintenance undertaking.